Midwest Living Review

Kendra L. Williams

The lush green course set against the backdrop of North Dakota's rocky badlands beckons golfers to give this challenging course a try.

Meadows, woodlands, the Little Missouri River and the badlands serve as the backdrop to this stunning 18-hole course 3 miles south of Medora. And several holes on the back nine (14-17) are built into the badlands. Course designer Michael Hurdzan said it is the prettiest course he has seen without ocean views, and while he's giving himself a heaping helping of praise with that statement, he may very well be correct. We certainly have seen our share of golf courses, in person and on TV, and we've never seen one like Bully Pulpit, which the Theodore Roosevelt Foundation opened in 2005. Plus, it was built with a strong conservation mindset, disrupting the area's natural beauty as little as possible. But you don't have to be a pro to have a good game here. The course features five sets of tees, ranging in length from 4,750 total yards from the red tees to 7,166 yards at the black tees. On some of the holes in the back nine, the ball drops 200 feet from the tee to the fairway. (Golf carts are included with every round; there is no way most people would make it up the hairpin turns lugging their golf bags without a little help.) The course is open early April through mid-October, with tee time reservations available starting in early March. The golfers we chatted with in August 2010 were overwhelmed and humbled by the topography and the overall experience, and they regularly travel from their homes in Minnesota and South Dakota to play there.